I am not what they call a math brain. Yet not long ago I stumbled upon an equation which thrills me now as much as it did when I first blinked at it with stupid awestruck eyes. It goes like this: 7 x 365 / 60 = 42.58. As I say, thrilling. Really, it is. Here’s why: Let’s say you do an activity for seven minutes every day—and keep it up every day for a year. That’s forty-two and a half hours every year!
You Are the Body of Christ
The body does not consist of one member but of many (1 Corinthians 12:14). As Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, it seems that some of their members, far from consciously affirming the diversity in their midst, were working against it. One group in the church was suggesting everyone should be just like them—have the same ministry, the same social status, the same convictions about idol-food, the same favorite preacher. Others, who felt inferior, were allowing themselves to drift into inactivity by embracing the lie that they were not useful to the church. Into this unhealthy atmosphere, Paul speaks,
Christ-Centered Parenting
He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments (Psalm 78:5-7).
What To Do When You Are Downcast
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7). The fact that God has displayed his grace in calling us “to his eternal glory in Christ” (1 Peter 5:10) is rock solid confirmation that he is the God of all grace. It is proof of his love, wisdom, and power to overcome every obstacle to bring you to himself. And the goal of bringing you to himself is so that you will, for all of eternity
Learning From Two Biblical Mothers
In this message we consider motherhood in a way that every person will be able to relate to and learn from. Join us as we consider motherhood through the lens of two mothers in the Bible, one from the beginning of the Old Testament, and one from the beginning of the New Testament. We intend to learn from these two mothers: Eve and Mary. While thinking about good mothers makes any person feel sentimental and even emotional, that is not our main goal here. Because the reality is, as any mother knows very well, life cannot be successfully navigated merely
Dilbert on Truth-speaking
Our goal when speaking to other Christians or unbelievers, Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:15, is not to “debunk every belief you have.” It is to share the truth in love. The difference in these two ends should therefore lead to very different means, as well.
Esau, Joseph, and God’s Good Plans
Text: Genesis 36:1 – 37:36 Introduction Genesis 37, and the chapters that follow, could hardly be a greater contrast to Genesis 36, which brushes quickly past Esau and his descendants. From here, to the end of the book of Genesis, God will share in painstaking detail the life and labors, trials and triumphs, struggles and successes of one man named Joseph. While Esau and many of his descendants did achieve a certain kind of success in their day, God is not impressed with efforts that are at their core rejecting Him as Creator and Lord. On the other hand, God is
Delivered for Our Sins, Raised for Our Justification
Text: Romans 4:25 Introduction If what this verse says is true, is true, then the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just something we should be celebrating once a year, but every day. We are justified—declared guiltless before the perfect, holy God—because Jesus did not stay in the tomb but “was raised again.” Jesus’ resurrection is best-case scenario for the world we live in; and so the good news of the Christian gospel is that the best-case scenario for this world has actually come true. I. Jesus Was Delivered for Our Offenses Your initial response to that statement might be:
Beyond the Patriarchs: God’s Covenant Continues
Text: Genesis 35:1-29 Introduction As Jacob’s story draws toward its conclusion, we are reminded 1) of God’s faithfulness to Jacob individually, and 2) of God’s faithfulness to His larger covenant promises to bring about redemption thru the Promised Seed. This serves then to reflect a truth for us as readers as well: with Jacob, we are meant to rejoice in the personal faithfulness of God to each of us as believers—but more importantly, we are reminded that we are not the center of the story of God’s redemption. Even God’s faithfulness to us personally is meant to enable us to
Dinah Is Defiled, Israel Responds
Text: Genesis 34:1-31 Introduction Genesis 34 is the account of the defiling of Jacob’s daughter Dinah, and how Israel responds to this tragedy. Though we might feel eager to hurry through the scandalous material in the chapter, God doesn’t seem to feel the same as he inspires Moses to write this. Moses devotes 31 verses to this event! Why? What does this chapter teach us about Israel, about ourselves, and about God? The primary issue in Genesis 34 is this: how do God’s people respond when He allows suffering in their lives? Will they trust God’s covenant promises, or look
You Will Seek Me
Text: Jeremiah 29:13 I. The Prophecy: How would you react if you read those words? Would you adopt a fatalistic attitude: “what difference does it make then what I do? God has already said what is going to happen, and when; I’ll just sit back and wait for it.” Perhaps a more pertinent question is: how do you read, and respond to, the prophecies and promises of God, when you come across them in Scripture? Are you moved to fatalism or enthusiasm? Do you pitch in the towel or do you pitch in to help? Do you quit working or
A New Beginning: Jacob & Esau Reconciled
Text: Genesis 33:1-20 Introduction It is important that we see the events in Genesis 33 as a sequel to Jacob’s wrestling with God and thus being broken, renamed, and blessed. We are meant to see the humbled, limping, drastically changed outcome of Jacob’s wrestling with God in Jacob’s interaction immediately after with Esau! We will see evidence in Genesis 33 of Jacob’s new-found courage, humility, repentance, holiness, and worship as a maturing believer. And perhaps most remarkably, we will see Jacob’s willingness to reconcile with his estranged brother Esau. And so we will see marks of genuine repentance and victory
Saved from Lukewarmness, to Christ
Text: Revelation 3:14-22 Introduction The reigning philosophy in Western culture is: “Do what makes you happy” or “believe whatever works for you”; but Jesus speaks in Re 3:14-22, to those in the church of Laodicea and warns them (and us) not to trust feelings. We may convince ourselves that we need nothing, when in reality we are poor, blind, and in great danger. To those who are deceived in this way, Jesus says, “You are wretched, your condition is miserable, you are exposed and naked before a Holy God.” I. The Danger of Lukewarmness (14-16) One of the first things
Jacob Wrestles with God
Text: Genesis 32:1-32 Introduction Jacob finally extricated himself from his slave-like condition under his uncle Laban, only to find himself facing a life-threatening encounter with his brother Esau as Jacob returns home. For this reason, Genesis 32 is—among other things—a lesson on how to handle fear and anxiety; on how to face painful crises; on how to deal with tough decisions that must be made.
Jacob Leaves Laban
Text: Genesis 31:1-55 Introduction Although the title of today’s message is simply “Jacob Leaves Laban,” we will see that there is actually nothing simple at all about Jacob trying to extricate himself from Laban’s slave-like treatment of him. In fact, it will become evident that it only thru divine help and intervention that Jacob can succeed… just as it is true of every one of us, that our only hope for deliverance from the enemies of our soul, of our family, of our security is that God must stand for us, must speak authoritatively on our behalf.